


An Addiction

by UnicornAssassin



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: F/M, Fight Clubs, Flashback
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-07-16 17:51:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7277896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnicornAssassin/pseuds/UnicornAssassin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He learnt how to fight from a girl.<br/>And she finally knows why he enjoyed going to fight clubs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Addiction

**Author's Note:**

> To be honest, I was inspired to write this because of a particular fan fiction and for the life of me, I truly cannot remember which one was it as I read a lot of Jacob Frye fan fictions. So, if you are the writer of that particular fan fiction, thank you for inspiring me to write this piece. 
> 
> Also, this is part of a long story I am writing as well. I tend to write bits and pieces then I compile into a whole story. This happens because I am married to my job, so I don't write as much unless I have enough free time to do so and if I am inspired to write the way I was inspired to write this one.
> 
> The * is an indication of a flashback, in case you get confused.
> 
> Thank you for reading and so sorry if there are any mistakes. So, hope you enjoy! :D

*Shannon, 17, had obviously given up telling Jacob, who was still 19 at that time, off about going for fight clubs and she decided to follow him to watch him getting beaten until he gives up fighting but that was not going to stop the unstoppable impetuous brother, Jacob Frye. Each time she had proven a point that he could never be the fighter he wanted to be, she would have to nurse him before he goes home and gets an earful from his father about his recklessness. 

“Jacob,” Shannon said one day when she was cleaning the cut on his face, “if you win a round one of these days, I am going to steal a coin from you and that is if they give you money.” 

“You don’t have to steal from me, I will give you for nursing me!” Jacob told her. 

“You are an idiotic bird, Jacob! Why do you do this knowing your father does not approve of fight clubs? Your father is such a proper man, a gentleman but his son?” Shannon asked, annoyed as she dap her wet cloth onto the small cut which caused Jacob to hiss in pain. “You won’t feel any pain if you know how to fight properly!” 

“Like you can!” Jacob said. “What do you horses know about fighting?” 

“Want to see me in the next match?” Shannon asked him. Jacob was baffled by her question. Her brown eyes seem to be sparkling when she asked him. “Why are you looking at me as if I asked you a question that could kill you?” 

“You are asking a question that could kill me! If George knew that you are here with me, I can find an answer to give him. I can even lie to him saying that I insisted on bringing you and get a scolding but… If he finds you in the middle of the ring or worse, if, you get injured from the fight, I will die by his blade!” Jacob cried hysterically. 

“I am being serious, Jacob,” Shannon said glaring at him. “Oh, there is the booker over there! Hey, booker!” Shannon called the rather large man who went towards them. 

“Shannon!” Jacob cried as he grabbed her wrist. 

“Watch and learn, Birdbrain,” Shannon said to Jacob then she turned to the booker. “Get me a man as big as him or slightly bigger, please?” Shannon asked as she paid the man and wrote her name on a piece of paper. 

“Have you lost your marbles, Shannon? A man as big as me or slightly bigger than me?” 

“Trust me!” Shannon said taking off her outer garment. Jacob’s eyes bewildered but he continued watching her taking off her outer garment, which she did as if she did it every day in front of him. “Why are you looking at me as if I committed a crime?” Shannon asked. 

“Cover yourself, Shannon!” Jacob yelled at her. 

“This happens when you have never seen me like this, eh Frye?” Shannon asked. Jacob looked away from her, feeling his cheeks turn hot and red. The booker came back to Shannon and told her that there was a fighter who did not mind fighting a woman for the match. “So, ready to watch and learn, Birdbrain?” 

“You are crazier than I thought, Shannon!” Jacob said grabbing her wrist. Shannon pulled his little finger up which caused a great deal of pain for him. “Why did you do that for? George will kill me for what you are about to do. If anything happened to you, what am I going to tell him?”

“Good God, Jacob! You fuss over me as if you were my mother!” Shannon sighed as she binds the bandage around her wrists. 

“If you don’t want to listen to me, at least use this,” Jacob said as he handed her his brass knuckles. Shannon took it from his hand and slipped it on. He did not know what to think when he saw her preparing for her fight. 

“Calling for Shane Otis!” the booker’s voice was heard. Shannon took Jacob’s hand and led him to the crowd. The fight club was silent as the grave when the men saw her entering the ring. Jacob stood disapproving that his friend, a girl, was entering the ring. 

“Shane Otis? People are going to think that you are a man!”

“Exactly what I want them to think before I enter the ring!” Shannon said casually at Jacob, who was clearly unhappy with her rash decision. 

Shannon went into the ring feeling nervous but she knew what she was doing could lead to consequences if George found out that she had been going to fight clubs with Jacob. It could also get Jacob into trouble with Ethan. The crowd were cheering but when they saw a woman entering the ring, they started muttering amongst each other. Shannon did not mind because she had expected their reactions anyway.

Entering the ring was a man slightly bigger than Jacob but that did not worry Shannon. Jacob worried her more, she did not want him to jump into the ring when the fight began. She knew she had to focus on the man in the ring with her had more experience and that was the same man Jacob lost against. 

“What is a kitten doing in the ring?” the man taunted her. 

“Are you sure I am not Sekhmet when you see me as Bastet?” Shannon asked him, knowing fully that a man of his wit would not understand what she was conveying to him. 

“Don’t think I would go easy on you, lassie!” the man said charging at Shannon. 

“She looks too relaxed!” Jacob thought. His heart was pounding in his chest and he wanted so badly to go into the ring but strangely, he trusted her. He continued watching Shannon outwitting the man by dodging from his punches. She used her agility and daintiness to her advantage. 

“You are an oaf!” Shannon thought. “I will have to continue countering his attacks until he gets tired, and that is when I can strike him.”

“You bitch!” the man cried angrily. Jacob’s ears turned hot when he heard the man calling Shannon a bitch but he noticed that she remained calmed and the smile on her face confirmed that. “You cowardly mouse!” the man panted. 

“This is my chance. He is showing signs of fatigue.” Shannon thought. She punched the man’s face with the brass knuckles and the man fell onto the floor but he was not defeated yet. “So, still think I am a kitten or a mouse, sir?” Shannon taunted. The crowd started cheering but Shannon’s eyes were fixed on the man as she did let the early victory go to her head as that could distract her. 

“Where did you learn to fight like that?” the man asked as he adjusted his jaw. Shannon just shrugged. The man then realised that his opponent was already panting due to exhaustion. He got up to his feet when she was wiping the sweat off her forehead when he attempted to punch Shannon’s face but luckily for her, she managed to move away but he managed to graze her cheek with the side of his brass knuckle. 

“Shannon… Please…” Jacob thought desperately. 

There was fury within Shannon’s eyes when she wiped the droplet of blood from the cut on her cheek. The crowd fell silent once again as if one could hear a pin drop. The man stood before her, cracking his neck and flexed his muscle. She knew, if she had frozen, she might as well surrender but she wanted to prove a point to Jacob that he was fighting rashly. She needed to strategise. In front of the man, she observed his posture and his breathing. The man before her was already running out of energy to fight her. She took a deep breath and exhaled. 

“Come on, bitch. Come get me!” the man said. Shannon’s patience was reaching its limits. “Too tired to continue or did the little cut on your pretty rosy cheek cause you to tire? Ha ha ha!” the man laughed. “Look at how this place is not a woman’s place!” the man said turning to the crowd. 

“He is distracted! Thinking he has won.” Shannon thought. She blew a kiss onto the brass knuckle and charged at the man. He was still laughing as he turned towards Shannon, whose leg came from underneath his chin. “What the fuck?!” the man yelled falling back once again. 

“Well, are we going to finish this fight?” Shannon asked. The man got onto his feet and took a stance. “Apparently, we are not giving up now, huh?” she said. The man charged at her again, though exhaustion was rushing through him. Shannon bent down but the man clumsily tripped over her back. He was back onto the floor but he was too slow when Shannon came flying in his direction with her brass knuckles aiming for his face. “Good night, you oaf!” Shannon said cheerfully as her fist strike the man’s face hard enough for the man to lose consciousness. 

There was blood all over the man’s face and over her knuckles. The crowd started cheering for Shannon, who went towards Jacob to clasped him in her arms. 

“You really got me worried! Don’t ever do that again!” cried the 19-year old man cupping her head as he pushed her head burying her face into his neck. Shannon looked up at him with eyes glowing from triumphant. He gently cupped her cheek and wiped off the almost dry blood from the cut the man gave, “What are you going to tell George when he comes back?” There was an urge to brush his lips against hers but he had to restrain himself from doing so. She might not feel the same way for him the way he felt for her.

“Miss Shane Otis!” the booker said approaching Jacob and her. “Your winning for tonight. Almost everybody betted that Mister John Fitch would win against you but they were proven wrong. Only one person bet you would win.” The booker gave her her winnings. Shannon took the money and thanked the man. 

“Jacob?” she asked. Jacob smiled at her and nodded. “You knew I would win?”

“Of course, I did. It was you who gave me this scar, was it not?” Jacob asked pointing to the scar on his eyebrow. “Come on, let’s get dressed and let’s go home.” 

“Luckily for us, Ethan and Uncle are on a mission!” Shannon whispered mischievously. She looked down at her hands and took off the brass knuckles. “Jacob, this is yours.” 

“You can keep it, Shannon. Who knows, you might want to get some extra money. You can come here.” Jacob told her, leading her to the dressing room to get dressed. 

Back in the Frye Estate, Shannon sat on the bed while Evie slept. She took out a coin and ran it through her fingers. She was tired and there was no doubt but her eyes were not heavy, so she decided to make something out of the shilling and it led to a shilling necklace. She still could feel the euphoric adrenaline gushing through her veins. She felt oddly satisfied beating the man who was larger than her and Jacob. It as just as Jacob had told her once, fighting is an addiction but the difference is the feeling of triumphant and the feeling of defeat. She was proud of herself for winning her first ever fight but she was not proud for she had done something she detests but after that one fight, she knew why Jacob kept going back to fight clubs. It felt like an addiction. It WAS an addiction! 

“Hey, Shannon!” she heard Jacob calling for her. She went towards the door after grabbing her shawl to cover her body. 

“What do you want, Frye? Haven’t you caused enough for me tonight?” she asked him, annoyed. 

“Thank you, Shannon,” Jacob told her, hugging her tightly in his embrace. Shannon was baffled at his actions. “I did not think you were such a fighter. I thought you were only good with weaponry.” 

“I am an Assassin, too, Jacob.” Shannon reminded him, releasing herself from his arms. “At least, give it some thought when you are in the ring. I admit, I was somewhat distracted by you in the crowd. I was worried that you would be worried about me!” Shannon laughed. 

“You were reckless and you knew it!” Jacob said pushing her forehead backwards with his finger. “But you are right.” 

“However, I have something for you!” Shannon said happily while showing Jacob a leather necklace with a shilling. “A token of my win for you,” she said putting the necklace around his neck. 

“And a reminder for me to be careful?” Jacob asked with a silly grin on his face which made Shannon laughed. He tried to look down at his necklace but knew she had tightened the leather necklace, the next best thing he could do was to hold the shilling with his fingers to feel it there. 

“You should be watching the town, Jacob, with your skills, instead of wasting time in gambling dens and fight clubs,” Shannon told him finally. She knew it was another way for him to find money but he was one of the town’s watchman, after all, it was his duty to watch the town. Shannon stopped talking when Jacob’s hand touched her grazed cheek. 

“It is a shame, Shannon. A pretty face like yours bruised and cut.” Jacob whispered. Shannon’s eyes bewildered when he uttered those very words. “I wish I could tell you that I am in love with you…” he thought. 

“Jacob, you had always known that I am not fit to be a lady!” Shannon laughed. “So, thank you for the compliment.” Jacob’s fingers were brushing against the light graze but it did not seem to hurt her. There was a certain comfort to his actions. “Well, now. Good night, Mr Frye…” Shannon said taking a step back. 

“Good night, Miss Kenway…” Jacob said, with a smile on his face when he bowed. He noticed a smile on Shannon’s face, a smile he had never really seen. Shannon turned back to the room where she and Evie shared. Heading for the bed, she lied down and immediately, drifted off into a deep slumber. 

~ ~ ~

The Frye twins and Shannon stood in the rain as the sextons brought the casket to the ground. Jacob had his arms around his older sibling, who was trying not to cry. Shannon felt a slight sadness rushing through her chest, it was her teacher going into the ground. She took a glance at Jacob and Evie; where she saw the different emotion showed by the twins. Evie was looking solemn but she looked like she could break into tears while Jacob looked indifferent but there was a slight lament expressed in his eyes. 

After the burial was done, the three stood before the tombstone accompanied by George. The Frye twins left the tomb without looking back at George and Shannon who was there. “Child?” George called for Shannon. 

“Uncle, why did he keep his sickness a secret from the twins?” Shannon asked. 

“He did not want them to know of his weakness. Ethan had some pride up until his death, Shannon. We are Assassins, we have to show some strength even though we are at our weakest.” George told her. “Come along, child… We don’t want you to catch a cold.” George sad taking his step away from the tomb. 

“Thank you and goodbye, Ethan,” Shannon whispered while touching the tombstone then turned around and walked slowly behind her Uncle.

“I am proud of you…” George uttered to his niece. 

That night, Shannon when to the Frye estate and found Jacob sitting at the table in the kitchen drinking beer. Clearly, he was tired from the day and perhaps, from being in the rain at the cemetery. “Jacob…” Shannon began; Jacob looked up at her but did not say anything with a facial expression she could not read. “Do you want to go out tonight? It will do you good.” Shannon croaked but she only got silence from him as he drank his beer. She was undeniably hurt with his actions but she somehow understood that he just lost his father. “I will just leave you alone then, talk to me when you are ready, yeah?” she said after a long silence. She turned her back on him and walked towards the door. 

As she reached for the doorknob, she felt a pair of arms wrapping around her from behind. “I don’t know how to tell you or anybody about losing my father,” Jacob whispered as he rested his chin on her shoulder then buried his face into her neck. “I was never bothered with his teaching, I was always against him but why do I feel the way Evie feel?” Shannon felt her neck wet with tears. 

She released herself from his embrace and wiped his tears with her thumbs. “Well, Ethan Frye is your father, after all.” Shannon said, “So, it is natural to feel the way you feel.” Shannon said as she held the man in her arms. Jacob wrapped his arms against around her and sobbed. After a while, he stopped and looked at her and kissed the top of her forehead. “Feeling better?” she grinned. 

“Much better. Shouldn’t you go home?” Jacob asked, wiping his face. 

“I should. I came by to check on you and Evie.” 

“Evie is in the room but she will be fine. I will walk you home.” Jacob offered. Shannon grinned and nodded while grabbing his arm. 

After Jacob sent Shannon home to the Westhouse manor, he ensured Shannon went into the house and closed the door behind her. After saying goodnight, he gravitated towards the fight club. 

“You are back for another beating, boy?” asked a fighter when he appeared. Jacob ignored the man. In Jacob’s mind, Shannon’s words about fighting ran in his head. “Hadn’t you had enough?” 

“Give me a man to fight with,” Jacob said to the booker. 

“Whatever you say, Jacob.” The booker said walking away shaking his head. Jacob went to the changing room to get ready for his fight. Jacob then went to the ring recalling Shannon’s words. 

“I must follow her advice.” Jacob thought binding his hands. He picked up a brass knuckle and put it on. Deep within his heart, he knew he was in no condition to fight. Before the match started, he touched the shilling of his necklace. “Give me strength, Shannon. Your methods better be right.” Jacob whispered as he took a stance against the man in front of him. 

Jacob fought the way Shannon showed him a week before and he found it was easy to overcome. The fight became easy for him and he finally won against men larger and more experienced than him. After the fight, the booker went up to him to give him his winning and among the winning prize was a necklace with a pendant of a dove. 

“Shannon would love this but I will keep this until the time is right for her to get this necklace. I don’t want her to know that I fought tonight…” Jacob thought to push the necklace into his trouser’s pocket.*

———

He watched her sleep peacefully after he came back from the fight club. He was satisfied with the match but that night, Shannon did not follow as she was feeling feverish. The necklace with the dove pendant was still around her neck as the shilling necklace she gave all those years ago was still around his. 

“If wasn’t for you…” Jacob whispered stroking her hair. He leant down to kiss her temple. He was glad that Shannon had taught him how to fight properly all those years ago. But that night, she lied in bed as the love of his life and for that, Jacob was grateful. Shannon opened her eyes slowly and smiled. “Hello…” he whispered caressing her forehead. 

“How was your fight?” she asked. He told her about his victory against those men then he asked if she was all right and she nodded. He lied down next to her sweeping into his arms and held her close. “I feel safer now,” she whispered snuggling against Jacob. The smell of sweat and musk on Jacob had that effect on her. Slowly, her eyes got heavy again and she drifted off to sleep. As for Jacob, while he was holding her in his arms, he had already fallen asleep.


End file.
